To improve the running behavior of an engine, it is useful to have information about a movement of a crankshaft of the engine, i.e., its instantaneous angular position and/or angular velocity. For this purpose, detecting and updating crankshaft-synchronous signals is known. Signals of this type are calculated in an angle-synchronous process known as the syn( ) process, or digitized by external triggering. However, in a periodic calculation and/or detection of signals of this type there is no correlation to a so-called “crankshaft clock” and thus an angle clock of the engine.
The detection of signals is described in the article “Messwerterfassung über Sensoren” [Detecting Measured Values via Sensors] by Don Alfano, Elektronik Informationen, Issue May 2005. This article points out, inter alia, that signals which are detected by a sensor are to be subjected to an analog/digital conversion for further processing. In this instance, a detection of sensor data requires more than a typical analog/digital converter, which is especially the case if linearization is required. Accordingly, an integrating converter having a corresponding analog front end is necessary for optimum operation.